Tuesday 23 August 2011

Books: Tank Girl: Tank Girl One

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Tank Girl
One
Written by Alan Martin
Art by Jamie Hewlett

2009



Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

Tank Girl is punk rock (three chords and you're away!) . Unfortunately for her - I'm more of a post-rock kinda guy. I like devastating noise: but I like it in carefully targeted in controlled bursts. Punk (and - hey - I'm making a general point here - so none of you take it too personally please) always seemed too over the place. Too sloppy. Too unfocused. Too senseless. And well that's why this is a comic that I've always found kinda hard to enjoy (and that's not good). To be clear tho: Tank Girl herself is great (see the Bad Reputation link below for a full run down of her majesty) and - speaking personally - one that I've always been slightly (ever so) in love with back when she was propping up Time Out covers. But (damn it) no matter how awesome a character is they've gotta have good stories to contain them - but then Tank Girl is too punk rock for that (damn her). The artwork has cool moments and well-observed touches (there's the page where Tank Girl berating/celebrating people's way with their clothes and she's standing with the soles of her feet slightly touching - and it's just seems so well observed and life-like that it makes my nerve ends sing). But - well: it's comics that probably looks better as a poster than as something you'd (as in: I'd) really want to read. But hey - acquired tastes and all that - and I would strongly urge you (if you've never sampled her delights before) to at least reading it once to see if it's something that appeals.

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Links: Bad Reputation Article: Tank Girl vs My Enemies, Grovel Review, The Hooded Utilitarian Article: Wow, We Just Don’t Care, Do We?: The Inanity of Tank Girl...and this made me laugh.

Further reading: Tank Girl: The Gifting, Hewligan's Haircut, Orc Stain, I Kill Giants, The Ballad of Halo JonesJudge Dredd: The Cursed Earth SagaChew.

All comments welcome.

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